All it would take for Plunder to kill the user instantly was for their target to have a combination of skills with levels that added up to at least 25. Each of the other skills was risky in its own way, but none of them could kill the user immediately. I didn’t see any point in choosing the EXP skills, but given that they did cost points, perhaps there was some kind of secret gimmick behind them. All right, what about the skills that were already in here before the requests?
Robust (10 Points required)
Your body becomes much more resilient and durable.
(You will become resistant to injury and diseases. However, this is a different world, so there may be pathogens that didn’t exist in your previous world.)
Magic Aptitude: Fire (10 Points required)
You become able to learn Fire magic.
(Humans cannot learn Fire magic without this skill. Elves can learn Fire magic even without this skill, but acquiring this skill will allow them to use stronger magic.)
Attractive Appearance (10 Points required)
You gain a very attractive outward appearance.
(Not recommended for Elves due to their natural beauty. Humans who are allured by appearance alone may cause trouble.)
Weapon Proficiency: Swords (10 Points required)
You have much more innate talent for wielding swords than the average person.
(Training is required to make use of the potential granted by this skill. Make sure not to be overconfident.)
Oh, these skills were actually normal! The advice inside the parentheses was actually useful too! I mean, the advice for the additional skills was important too, but that advice only explained how gimmicky each skill was. Wait, are all of the new skills gimmicky?
Skin Lightening (5 Points required)
Your skin will become much lighter than the average person’s and remain lighter regardless of sun exposure. You will also become more resistant to sunburns.
(Due to a lack of skin pigment, you will become more vulnerable to UV damage even if you don’t tan or burn visibly. Take care of your skin to avoid skin cancer.)
Drunkard (5 Points required)
You will find it difficult to become drunk.
(This doesn’t affect the properties of the alcohol that you consume, so the effects of alcohol on your body remain the same. In fact, it’s possible that you won’t know when to stop because of this trait, so be careful of alcoholism and alcohol poisoning.)
Swindle (10 Points required)
You become a smooth talker and have a good chance at deceiving people with words alone.
(All talk and no action will make others distrust you. If you want to establish long-term friendships, you will have to prove it with your actions.)
These skills sound fairly reasonable, and the advice is sensible too. Actually, it’s more like the other additional skills were straight-up awful. I’ll just avoid the additional skills for the most part. Apart from the Help Guide, I think choosing the skills that were in this list from the beginning is the way to go. I hope I’m right...
These were the skills that I chose after an hour of thinking.
Help Guide (20 Points required)
Weapon Proficiency: Spears (10 Points required)
Magic Aptitude: Time (15 Points required)
Level 2 Spearmanship (10 Points required)
Level 1 Evasion (5 Points required)
Level 2 Robust (15 Points required)
Level 1 Hawk’s Eye (5 Points required)
Level 1 Stealth (5 Points required)
Level 1 Traps and Snares 101 (5 Points required)
Level 1 Scout (10 Points required)
Level 2 Third Eye (10 Points required)
Level 1 Fire Magic (10 Points required)
Level 2 Time Magic (10 Points required)
My race cost 20 Points. I spent the remaining 130 Points on skills, including 20 Points on the Help Guide. I chose skills based on what I thought would fit in the normal character creation process for a game, and I didn’t take any skills that seemed like they were cheat skills. It was a cautious plan, but I was fairly sure that playing it safe was best. There was no way I would be willing to try out some of the gimmicky additional skills after I saw how risky they were. My very life was on the line here, so I would rather play it safe. I hoped Haruka and Tomoya would also make safe and sensible choices for their race and skills. I can probably trust Haruka, but I’m not too sure about Tomoya. There’s a good chance he’ll choose based on his fetishes...
★★★★★★★★★
“Well then, are you all done? It’s about time for your transportation!” the young boy announced. “I’ll use any leftover points on random skills after this, so keep that in mind!”
Wait, random?! What if you got stuck with one of the gimmicky additional skills?! Then again, everyone probably used up all of their points, so it was probably fine, but still!
“Oh yeah, the souls closest to you right now will also get transported to the same place in the other world. It might be a good idea to stay near people you know—if you can tell each other apart!”
Whoa, hold up! You can’t just drop important information like that at the last minute! How are we supposed to tell each other apart in soul form?!
Just as I was thinking those words, two souls approached me and hovered close by. I felt a nostalgic bond between us. Wait, Haruka and Tomoya? Is it you two? Hold on, am I the only one who can’t tell everyone apart? Am I actually an extremely heartless person?
While I was in shock, the young boy carried on with a smile on his face and waved his hand.
“All right, I hope you all enjoy your second life!”
As soon as I heard those words, I was engulfed in a bright light.